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Spike mutation D614G alters SARS-CoV-2 fitness
A spike protein mutation D614G became dominant in SARS-CoV-2 during the COVID-19 pandemic1,2. However, the impact on viral spread and vaccine efficacy remains to be defined. Here, we engineer the D614G mutation in the USA-WA1/2020 strain and...
Identification of required host factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection in human cells
To identify potential therapeutic targets for SARS-CoV-2, Daniloski et al. conduct
a genome-wide CRISPR screen in human lung epithelial cells. They identify genes and
pathways required for SARS-CoV-2 infection, including the vacuolar ATPase proton...
To Find a Coronavirus Vaccine, GlaxoSmithKline Is Bonding With Its Biggest Competitors
The hunt for a solution to Covid-19 is producing an unlikely team of rivals in the cutthroat world of pharmaceuticals.
Convalescent plasma in the management of moderate covid-19 in adults in India: open label phase II multicentre randomised controlled trial (PLACID Trial)
Objective To investigate the effectiveness of using convalescent plasma to treat moderate coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19) in adults in India.
Design Open label, parallel arm, phase II, multicentre, randomised controlled trial.
Setting 39...
COVID-19 can affect the heart
The family of seven known human coronaviruses are known for their impact on the respiratory tract, not the heart. However, the most recent coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has marked tropism for the heart...
Prolonged SARS-CoV-2 replication in an immunocompromised patient
Abstract. We describe a case of chronic COVID-19 in a patient with lymphoma and associated B-cell immunodeficiency. Viral cultures and sequence analysis demons
Understanding COVID-19 vaccine efficacy
Vaccine efficacy in high-risk groups and reduced viral shedding are important for protection
Time to Reassess Tocilizumab’s Role in COVID-19 Pneumonia
In this issue of JAMA Internal Medicine, 3 important articles1-3 explore the use of tocilizumab in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia. Tocilizumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody that binds human interleukin 6 (IL-6) receptors. It is...
Antibody Immunological Imprinting on COVID-19 Patients
While the current pandemic remains a thread to human health, the polyclonal nature of the antibody response against SARS-CoV-2 is not fully understood. Other than SARS-CoV-2, humans are susceptible to six different coronaviruses, and previous...
Prospects for a safe COVID-19 vaccine
Rapid development of an efficacious vaccine against the viral pathogen SARS-CoV-2, the cause of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, is essential, but rigorous studies are required to determine the safety of candidate vaccines. Here, on...
Accommodating individual travel history and unsampled diversity in Bayesian phylogeographic inference of SARS-CoV-2
Spatiotemporal sampling gaps in existing pathogen genomic data limits their use in understanding epidemiological patterns. Here, the authors apply a phylogeographic approach with SARS-CoV-2 genomes to accurately reproduce pathogen spread by...
Cytokine elevation in severe and critical COVID-19: a rapid systematic review, meta-analysis, and comparison with other inflammatory syndromes
The description of a so-called cytokine storm in patients with COVID-19 has prompted
consideration of anti-cytokine therapies, particularly interleukin-6 antagonists.
However, direct systematic comparisons of COVID-19 with other critical illnesses...
Laboratory Supply Shortages Are Impacting COVID-19 and Non-COVID Diagnostic Testing | ASM.org
The shortage of laboratory supplies associated with the high demand for COVID-19 testing have been continuously impacting the laboratory supply chain since the early days of the pandemic. Now, new reports of concerning and unprecedented supply...
The three Vs needed to end this pandemic
While scientific and vaccine manufacturing community make huge strides in the race towards that goal, it is important to remember that vaccines are only one of three Vs needed to beat this coronavirus.
Integrating genotypes and phenotypes improves long-term forecasts of seasonal influenza A/H3N2 evolution
The combination of phenotypic measures of antigenic drift and genotypic measures of functional constraint improves the accuracy of long-term seasonal influenza A/H3N2 forecasts.
Immunity and Re-Infection
For months now, people have been watching closely to see if it's possible to get re-infected with the coronavirus. It's taken a while for the signal-to-noise to get better, but by now there's no doubt that the answer is yes, it's possible. We've...
SARS-CoV-2 immunity: review and applications to phase 3 vaccine candidates
Understanding immune responses to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
is crucial to understanding disease pathogenesis and the usefulness of bridge therapies,
such as hyperimmune globulin and convalescent human plasma, and to developing...
'Near extinction' of influenza in NZ as numbers drop due to lockdown
Mask wearing and social distancing for Covid-19 has all but cut influenza cases in New Zealand this year, with only six flu isolates detected in this country from April to August. Professor Michael Baker offers his analysis.
SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody structures inform therapeutic strategies
The COVID-19 pandemic presents an urgent health crisis. Human neutralizing antibodies (hNAbs) that target the host ACE2 receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike1–5 show therapeutic promise and are being evaluated clincally6–8. To...